Dauntless Identity
by Anima Hunter
Summary: Zen hears about an apparent "Date" Shirayuki will be attending with a boy from her past. Zen doesn't take too kindly to the thought of this. So what can a jealous Prince do in this situation, you ask? He wants to make his feelings clear. But should it really be this hard?
1. Chapter 1

Dauntless Identity - Chapter 1

"She said WHAT?" Prince Zen yells, his voice echoing the castle halls with a dark vibration. He grits his teeth whilst pacing back and forth, his white cape reflecting the light of the sunset glowing through the grand windows. Obi sluggishly walks over to the wooden writing desk by the window and carelessly props himself on the edge of it. He yawns and rubs the back of his neck.

"I'm afraid so Master, it seems Miss Shirayuki has a hot dinner date tomorrow evening." Obi says with a smirk on his face. Meanwhile Mitsuhide and Kiki stand side by side and carefully analyse the Prince's reaction.

"I will not allow it, she can't go!" Zen yells. Obi laughs, and Zen shoots a deadly look in his direction. Obi gulps and laughs nervously.

"I-I didn't mean it like that Master, I mean, She is _your_ girlfriend and all, so I understand why this might make you upset." Obi says. Mitsuhide and Kiki stare at Obi in disbelief. _Girlfriend!?_ Zen stops pacing and turns towards the three faces that stare at him. He breathes for a moment.

"Where is she?" Zen demands.

" Miss Shirayuki has gone into town to collect some items missing from the herbalist storage room." Kiki replies in her usual flat and honest tone. Kiki, Mitsuhide and Obi all watch as the Prince storms out of his office.

"Funny, I didn't think he was the jealous type. How sweet." Obi says in a tiered voice. Kiki's mouth becomes a straight flat line.

"You know, you should be careful what you say around Zen. I don't think he's in the mood to laugh right now." She warns Obi. Mitsuhide walks towards the door with a worried expression on his face.

"Well, maybe the word "Date" was a little strong, I'll admit that." Obi says whilst shrugging.

"But at the end of the day-" Obi continues courageously,

"She's never gone on a dinner date with the Master. So why all of a sudden is she interested in going out with this…uh, what's his name again?"

"Abriel Makto." Kiki answers simply.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Obi exclaims. Pushing himself off the desk, Obi and Kiki follow after Mitsuhide. Without saying a word, all 3 know where they are going:

To follow Zen to the town.


	2. Dauntless Identity - Chapter 2

Dauntless Identity 

Zen, Kiki, Obi and Misuhide all arrive in the village. It's almost dark, but many of the shops and bars are still open. Each building glows with a warm yellow light; the sound of laughter and happy cheering flowing out and into the streets. The group walk together, each one of them fully aware of their surroundings. Obi suddenly stops walking, and the others follow his lead.

"Obi, something wrong?" Zen asks as he turns around to look at him. Obi stares past Zen and head ahead.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just that I found her sitting by that fountain over there." Says Obi in a casual tone. All heads turn in the direction he's looking and sure enough Shirayuki sits on the edge of the fountain. She is reading a book, the street light eliminating the pages.

"Wait here." Zen commands. He walks ahead.

"Try not to be _too_ rough on her." Kiki jokingly warns him. Obi picks up a slight tone of concern within her voice. He stays silent though. They all stand in the shadows with their backs against a stone brick wall whilst keeping their eyes on Shirayuki and Zen.

"Oh, Zen." Shirayuki says in a calm yet surprised tone. She watches Zen walk up to her until he is standing so close he almost appears to be leaning over her as she sits. She looks up to his face, and notices that it's twisted in a way she's never seen before.

"Zen, what's wrong? Did something happen?" She questions with concern. Zen steps back and and places both hands on either side of his hips, a stern look on his face.

"I hear you have a date tomorrow? Explain." He says flatly. Shiryuki blushes a deep red and grips the sides of her dress in embarrassment.

"W-what? Where did you hear that?" She flusters. Zen doesn't move an inch; his dark blue eyes analysing Shirayuki's face. She gulps.

"What I mean is, he's just a friend that used to visit me from time to time back in Tanbarun. We haven't met up in a while so he asked me out for dinner. That's all." She says innocently. Zen sighs and shifts his body, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well – did you tell him about us?" Zen asks. A choking sound escapes Shiryuki's throat as her face crumples into a horrified and embarrassed expression.

"Us? Uh-Uhm, well…Uh-" She stutters and struggles to find the correct words.

"TI thought not." Zen says coldly. Shiryuki gasps as Zen suddenly moves.

He quickly slips his hand around the back of Shiryuki's neck and uses his other hand to lift up her chin gently. Zen leans down and places a kiss on her lips, making her freeze in surprise. He lingers a little longer than usual, but eventually pulls himself away. He quickly darts his eyes around the scene to ensure that nobody saw – well, nobody except the 3 pairs of eyes he can feel starring at him from the shadows. Zen clears his throat.

"Let's go back to the Palace." Zen suggests, putting a hand out for Shiryuki to take. She does, but doesn't take her eyes of off Zen.

"Zen, I don't understand why you're acting so strangely. You're not usually so…public. What is it?." She asks with increasing worry. The Prince stops walking in front for a moment and pauses. He looks over his shoulder at Shiryuki with an odd coldness in his eyes.

"What if I'm sick of having to hide this from everybody?" Zen asks, his voice quiet and tinged with sadness. Shiriyuki pauses in shock at the sound of it.

"What if I want everyone to know how in love with you I am? You think I care what people might say about this?" He says, his voice raising. He quickly turns around and throws his arms around her in the middle of the dark street. A couple wandering in the night stop for a moment to stare.

"Off you go. Curiosity killed the cat, you know." Obi says, suddenly appearing behind the people from nowhere. They jump in shock of his sudden appearance, and mumble quick apologies and they scurry off. Obi glances over at the Prince, who was still holding Shiriyuki. He jumps up and props himself on a hanging sign outside a shop, carefully observing the area.

"Zen…" Shiriyuki whispers, hiding her face into his neck. She grips the back of his cape, and his arms tighten around her. They finally pull apart with their eyes locking together as soon as they can. Zen places his hand on her cheek, rubbing his thumb gently onto it.

"D-do you want me to cancel? Because I'd rather not do that. Couldn't you trust me instead?" Shiriyuki asks him. His eyes widen in shock, then the Prince grits his teeth and looks to the ground. He wasn't expecting that. Why is she so adamant on going? Why hasn't she ever mentioned this _boy_ before? And – most importantly – why hadn't she told him? Zen thinks back to how everyone in his office (Hell, probably the whole castle) was aware of her meeting this boy before he was. That's what worried him the most. But he does trust Shiriyuki, there was no doubt about that.

"I trust you, I do." Zen says in a softer tone. He sighs.

"I'm sorry if I sounded harsh. Why don't we talk about it when we're back at the castle? It's getting dark." Zen suggests. Shiriyuki nods in agreement and they start to walk towards Kiki and Mitsuhide. Obi jumps down from the rooftop and lands next to Kiki. No words are swapped, just nods of understanding between them.

Everyone starts to return to the castle. Shiriyuki glances over at Zen as they walk, and she wonders what could possibly be running through that mind of his.


End file.
